Black Shadow
by Flamefox2
Summary: Fifty years ago, Black Doom made a pact with Professor Gerald. Fifty years later, Shadow must choose between the humanity that scorns him and the aliens that welcome him as a brother. It seems that Black Doom has some secrets, too... Warning: Spoilers from Shadow's past! T for future violence. Character death. First few chapters are of Doom's time on the ARK and Shadow's creation.
1. Black Doom

**I wrote a whole summary for the Author's Note, but then I accidentally 'x'ed out of the page I was on because I was reading fanfiction and listening to music and reading about Sonic stuff in preparation for this story. I am not going to write it again. -.-**

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER AND ALL OTHER CHAPTERS AFTER THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS ABOUT SHADOW'S PAST.**

**However, I am still trying to work on the next chapter for Knight of the Stars. I've been incredibly uninspired and am trying to figure out how to work things into the story. However, I started writing the chapter, and I think that I have a tiny idea on what to do. If it's not out by early July, then I'm banned from the computer for a year. I'm serious. -.-**

**So anyway, I've been a fan of Shadow the Hedgehog since I first saw him in Sonic X. Honestly, who wouldn't love that adorable little fluffball full of joy and peace? -3- Oh wait, I'm thinking about Kirby. Oh, well. Shadow's still cool. So a few years ago at age nine or somesuch, I discovered he had his own game, and I rented it. Fell in love with it. And I bought it about two years ago. Still love it. Still love Black Doom, and Shadow, and Rouge, and everybody! (Yes, even Eggman. You can kill him, which is kinda disturbing.)**

**IN WHICH SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG STRUGGLES BETWEEN THE MORALS OF SAVING THE EARTH FROM EXTINCTION AND ALLYING WITH AN EVIL RACE INTENT ON DESTROYING THE PLANET WITH WHICH HE HAS A SURPRISING CONNECTION WITH.**

**...Seems I ended up repeating what I said and was deleted, after all. ... *clicks 'Save'***

* * *

An allegiance with the humans was the best way to get them to lower their guard. By fooling them into believing that they were allies, it was easy to gather the information they needed, make proper observations of the planet below, and strike a bargain with the leading scientist. The scientists would later be destroyed by the Black Arms, and the amusement they served for him would dissipate.

It took Black Doom a lot of persuading to get his alien offspring to believe the idea that it was simply for amusement, simply for enjoyment. He meant nothing by it. They'd destroy the evidence afterwards, he said, like it never existed. So, hesitantly, the Black Arms Army went along with what their leader wished, and they contacted the Space Colony A.R.K.

"Splendid," said the head scientist. "We'll see you here in fifteen minutes, then?"

Black Doom agreed. He had seen what humans looked like, what to expect. The scientist, however, had never seen one of his kind. So, of course, when they finally shared words and saw each other in person, he was surprised to find that Black Doom looked so, as he put it, 'strange'. How absurdly disrespectful - to refer to the most renowned leader of any race in the cosmos as such; he had half a mind to strangle the plump man where he stood. But alas, it would be useful to him to hear what he had to say.

He spoke of creating the 'Ultimate Life Form'; a creature that can withstand any strike and live almost eternally nigh aging. A creature who could combat any illness and heal from the worst of injuries in mere minutes. A creature that has high intelligence, combat skills, strength, speed, and flexibility. The more Black Doom thought about it, the more he was intrigued. The more he was intrigued, the more he desired to learn. Could such a perfect being exist? he thought. Surely this is just tales of fantasy, after all.

But no. They were already testing and forming bound bodies so that they could see - which would best befit the Ultimate Life Form? Does the form even matter?

The closest thing that they'd gotten, apparently, was that the 'Ultimate Life Form' was a large, unnatural-looking brown lizard that required a life support system. _Funny,_ he thought as the lizard tried to catch the scientists in a dark ball of shadowed electricity. _Ironic that the greatest creature on Earth needs life support. Humans are far more pitiful than I first thought._

Black Doom was a scientist in his own right. He could see with great ease that the power was impairing its sense of judgement and its intelligence. The life support system was required simply because the strength it had not mastered was destroying it from the inside. What it needed was a way to interfere with this power - a way to intercept and restrain it.

But when Professor Gerald asked his thoughts on the matter, Black Doom claimed ignorance and explained that he would deeply consider the options. The proposal, after all, may prove to be useless. He wouldn't want to unveil any information to the scientist if he wasn't getting anything in return because it would defeat the whole purpose.

"Our hypothesis is that the Biolizard, as we call him, has no control over the energy within it. Reflecting on it now, it was idiotic of us to think that it would be able to master it from the start. This is potentially the Ultimate Life Form, but until our studies are completed, we are willing to render it inconclusive." He let loose a short laugh. "After all, what kind of 'Ultimate Life Form' needs machines to live off of?"

Hmm... perhaps the professor wasn't as stupid as he first believed. They might get along better - or worse - than he thought.

"Have you considered ways to inhibit the energy?" Black Doom pondered, watching him with deep trepidation. The intelligence that this man displayed, even, was worrisome. What if their plot was discovered before the time came?

The professor looked evenly at him, and despite him being smaller and weaker than Black Doom, there was no denying that his intelligence was strong and his confidence sure. "Well," he said, voice steady, "we were thinking that on the next attempt, we might try using rings."

_"Rings?"_

Well, perhaps he didn't have anything to worry about. If 'rings' were the best he could come up with, he'd hate to see the worst. Black Doom almost allowed himself a chuckle, before he remembered - no, he did not mean _those _rings, the ones that you place upon your fingers and displayed to the world. He meant _those _rings, the ones that mysteriously appeared in the universe many years before them. The ones that could repair machines slowly but steadily with their strange energy. How could he forget about _those _rings?

But don't rings give off power? How could an object filled _with _energy _inhibit _energy? Especially energy that the so-called 'Ultimate Life Form' would have! The idea was preposterous... unless...

"Have you discovered a way to have these rings contain and restrain energy?" he asked.

Gerald's head lowered. Gradually, he shook it. "No, not yet," he admitted.

"Hmm... such a shame," replied the alien lord, smiling devilishly on the inside, though he couldn't smile physically in this form. "Perhaps it would have been a great partnership, professor. But if you have no method of retaining energy _now_, then how can you expect me to assist you?

This was simply an effort to take note of how the professor would react. Black Doom had the technology to create an inverse of energy that would act as the energy's shackles and hold it down until the owner of the power wished to let it loose. Occasionally he made it so that his prisoners would be unable to expend any of their energy at all.

Around them, the A.R.K. hummed. The lights on the ceiling were bright and stable. The only researcher in the area had just entered the room and stopped, staring at Black Doom with his own trepidation. Trepidation that _he _no longer felt, for if he fell for his little joke, it would give him the cue to leave - possibly destroy the A.R.K. and continue along his merry way.

But Gerald wasn't an idiot, he found. Rather than resort to begging on his hands and knees like a sniveling little swine-bug, he instead drew himself up and said, surely, "I beg to differ, Lord Doom, that you haven't got technology to match our own. After all, how else would you have been able to create a whole civilization on a comet - excuse me," he added, seeing the dark lord tense - "_black _comet. You're very intelligent, I can see this. It would truly be an honor if you'd give me the chance to work with you."

The man was sincere, polite, and straight to the point. Just as Doom was about to say something else, the professor added, "Besides, I'm sure you've always wanted an heir to your throne."

_What do heirs have to do with anything?_ he thought, startled. Was the professor truly so desperate that he would give away the Ultimate Life Form to a complete stranger - an extraterrestrial warlord, at that! Surely things were more complicated than they seemed. Quietly, Black Doom thought, but in reality, he was tapping into the professor's memory banks.

He saw a young eleven-year-old girl who was fatally ill and needed treatment they didn't have. There was no known cure. Despite her illness, it seemed that he brought her to the A.R.K. His granddaughter, possibly? Apparently she had a disease called Neuro-Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, which weakened the nervous system while also weakening the immune system.

He was doing this for her. It was all for her. _He must love her very much, _he pondered. How foolish - forming sentimental attachments to children was nothing but a waste of time. Then again, for the Ultimate Life Form to be among his ranks - the Black Arms... the offer was tempting.

However, there must have been a catch. The professor surely wouldn't just let him _have _the Ultimate Life Form. Gerald surely knew who he was, what he would do with the creature. Wouldn't it be dangerous for the human race?

No, to have an heir would be _disastrous_. Even if it was the Ultimate Life Form, it would be difficult to calculate whether or not he could trust it. Black Doom shook his head. "No, I'm perfectly fine without an heir of my own," he said coldly, "though I do sincerely appreciate your concern."

Gerald's head hung, and Black Doom decided he'd had enough playing around. However, as he turned away, he caught out the corner of his eye a bright scarlet gleam, which attracted his attention. He paused for a moment before hovering toward it, sensing the power that lay within. Chaos power... could it truly be?

The red Chaos Emerald lay in a machine that was attached to the life support system on Biolizard's back. It shone with great strength as it emitted chaotic waves that were caught by the machine and transferred back into the gigantic lizard. Bemused, he extended a hand to tap his finger on the glass keeping him from touching the Emerald. "This," he said suddenly, "this red emerald - where did you get it from?"

"Where...?" said the professor, looking up. "Oh! Where? I got it down there on Earth," he explained. "The government provided it for us to use for Project Shadow."

"Project Shadow?" he asked, turning back to the lead scientist. "Why is it named that?"

The scientist's good humor made him chuckle, and he put a finger over his grey, thickly-mustached mouth. "To remind everyone about how quiet we need to keep it," he admitted, which seemed like a plausible explanation for Black Doom. Ah, well. That wasn't what concerned him. What _did _concern him was where exactly the rest of the Chaos Emeralds were. Here was the red one - the one for power; how long would it take for the humans to collect the rest?

Hmm...

Perhaps he would have a use for the Ultimate Life Form, after all.

* * *

**YAY FIRST CHAPTER OF SHADOW'S PAST. In case you can't tell, this has spoilers and stuff from Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (which I also have). **

**I'm telling you, this didn't take too long. It seems whenever I start a story, it's like all on full power or something, but when I get three chapters in, I get really drained. ._.**

**So Biolizard's TECHNICALLY Shadow's big brother. XD**

**The first few chapters will be basically the cooperation between Black Doom and Gerald Robotnik, who is the grandfather of Maria Robitnik and Dr. Eggman. So I think that basically makes Maria and Eggman siblings. ._.**

**This took a lot of studying. Seriously. I went on the Sonic wiki and read all this stuff. I read it about Gerald, I read it about Shadow, and Black Doom (who is voiced by the same voice actor as GOKU FROM DRAGON BALL), and Project Shadow, and Maria (kinda, not really), and even a little on the history of the Black Arms Army. O.O**


	2. Three Fail

**Hey, wow. An update so soon? From _me? _What's up with that?**

**Don't expect this out of me every single time. I won't update on a regular basis, unfortunately. The more I loose interest in a story, the slower I update.**

**However, I find I currently have a great interest in seeing how this story will turn out. I mean, this is a new topic for me to write about, so it's interesting, you know? There are so many things that can happen on the A.R.K right now, it's ridiculous~!**

**So yeah, Shadow the Hedgehog is not mine, nor will it ever will be. Because if he was, I'd make him into an anime that is SOOO much more mature than Sonic the Hedgehog (with guns and swords.)  
**

**By the way, guests are also welcome to review! I love reviews, please review! It gives me fuel to continue writing! -3-**

* * *

"Is this truly necessary?" asked Black Doom, mentally frowning as the professor inserted a needle into his arm. The strangeness of having metal inside of his arm made him uncomfortable and, yes, uncertain. To begin with, was the needle even properly sanitized before it was brought to them? He wasn't willing to return to the Black Comet sick with a human virus. Admittedly it was difficult for him to get sick, but that was well beside the point, which was this; not all of his Black Arms children had an immune system as strong as he. He didn't want his fighters to fall simply because he returned carrying a parasite.

The professor didn't respond, instead removing his blood into the syringe. Unlike the other black aliens, he himself had red blood rather than green. He was, after all, the eldest son of all the Black Arms soldiers. And that came with certain differences.

"Your blood," noted the professor musingly. "It looks reminiscent of human blood."

"Focus on the task at hand, Professor Gerald," replied Black Doom sharply. 'Project Shadow', as the scientist referred to it, was his main concern. Yes, indeed, he agreed to the professor's bargain - but on the condition that the Ultimate Life Form would collect all seven Chaos Emeralds upon his return fifty years later. In the other room, the husk for the next attempt lay in stasis, wired inside of a capsule filled with green liquid that made it slumber.

This is what Gerald told him, at least, He had not seen the body of it quite yet, even after making these arrangements for little over a week. In fact, this would be the first time he'd see it, as Gerald pumped his blood in the lifeless husk. in a way, he was excited - finally he'd get to see exactly what he and the other researchers had so dubiously studied for years. He guessed that the husk was small, perhaps the size of a Morian animal.

That's what the Earthlings were beginning to call their planet now - Moria, because change is odd in that manner.

Black Doom, personally, didn't exactly care. All he hoped for was that the fruits of his labor wasn't spoiled.

When the professor filled the syringe, he took another one and did the same to Black Doom's other arm. The feeling of having your blood sucked out of him made the alien even more uncomfortable than he already was. Or maybe it was anticipation. Either way.

"There we go," muttered Gerald, setting down the large syringe and scratching his bushy mustache in his habitual way. "That should be enough for now."

The room was white enough that it hurt Black Doom's eyes, and his head swam as it tried to cope with the realization that metal needles had just been inside his flesh and stolen his blood. He closed his three red eyes for a moment, taking a moment to meditate.

He thought he heard someone - a voice - but dismissed it for the time being. He focused on the blackness, on his breathing. In, out. In, out. For despite his slim patience and short temper when it came to being the warlord of the Black Arms, his situation with spiritual matters was quite the opposite, and he was calm. When his mind soothed, he opened his three eyes and noticed Gerald looking at him rather strangely. He could take a guess at what happened, to be perfectly honest, but he chose to ignore it as he stood from his meditative position. It took a moment for him to gain his balance on his new-found legs, but he managed. "Let's go, then," he said, frowning.

"How did you-?" started the professor, but Black Doom waved his hand dismissively. He wasn't in the mood for questions, only to continue with the project. Professor Gerald hesitantly nodded his head, and, picking up the syringes full of alien blood in his hands, led him to the door.

Along the way, they passed a mirror. Black Doom glanced at himself for just a moment. _Yes, it's just as I thought. _Rather than the intimidating black alien with straight pointed horns, three sharp claws, and torso-less body, he saw a tall Morian hedgehog with three crimson eyes, jagged black spikes scratchily highlighted red, and robes that hung loose from his body with religious intent. He didn't mind this form so much as some others he had.

Such as, let's say, his human form.

_Yes, hedgehog is much better, _he mused, passing the mirror easily and entering the room where his soon-to-be biological son or daughter was sleeping, dormant.

The body, Black Doom found, was much preferable to any other Morian animal. It was the body of a hedgehog, like himself, and looked somewhat like he did in his present form other than the sharp contrast in color; this hedgehog's fur and quills was a sandy yellow and highlighted with a darker shade of brown. There was a tuft of white fur on his chest.

Black Doom couldn't help but frown slightly. Could the Ultimate Life Form truly be such a small creature? As Professor Gerald injected the blood into a blood pack that was likely connected to a tube attached to the specimen's back, he couldn't help but doubt - to him, he was a tiny creature, nearly an insignificant whelp to his eyes.

"Don't be fooled by how he looks," said Gerald, removing his glasses and cleaning them with his lab coat. His eyes were a shocking blue, which explained where Maria - the human girl he often saw that he deduced was his granddaughter - got it from. "This little bugger put up a strong fight before he died. Eventually he subcombed to sickness mid-battle. The government sent him up at my request to use for Project Shadow."

"If he was ill when he died, would he not be ill when he awoke?" asked Black Doom disbelievingly. The one fault he could personally find with his current form is that his voice lost its intimidating tone and his ability to induce fear on a visual scare was sharply lowered.

Gerald, surprisingly, laughed. "No, not quite; if my calculations are correct, your blood will counteract the stage three cancer cells that still live in his body due to this life support system."

"Cancer?" he asked, frowning deeper. "What kind of cancer?"

"Brain," he said shortly, tapping the side of his head imploringly. "The tumors have for the most part been removed via surgery, so that's already out of the way. If my calculations are a little off, some of the remaining cells might remain in the brain and cause the likelihood of amnesia to increase. If I'm completely incorrect - which I doubt - he'll die as soon as he wakes up."

_Ah. _Brain cancer. Black Doom relaxed slightly. The Professor was correct in his assumptions - it was more than likely that his immune system's white blood cells would be able to easily dispatch of the negative cells. However, as he had never experienced brain cancer before, the Ultimate Life Form would probably have a few cells of the cancer left in his head.

Which would likely be a problem later on.

_But don't worry about that now, _he thought. The problem wasn't immediate, so it didn't matter then. He would deal with it when the time arose.

As chemicals and blood was pumped into Project Shadow, the professor brought out the clipboard and passed it over to the alien hedgehog, who accepted the report quietly.

Black Doom sat down in a chair, crossed his legs, and read, swiftly and accurately.

**Project Shadow**

**A research project of which is intended to achieve immortality and become immune to any kind of ailment.  
The project is to take place on the Space Colony, A.R.K., created by Professor Gerald Robotnik is also the  
leading mind behind Project Shadow in an attempt to create the 'Ultimate Life Form'.**

**The first three attempts at creating the Ultimate Life Form ended in absolute failure. Subject Biolizard is  
the considered the first success, however it has grown at a weight of 2.7 times its original size over the  
course of several days, and despite its enormous strength and size, it's incredibly limited intelligence  
makes it more reminiscent of an animal than anything else. Repeated experimental processes have also  
significantly weakened the Biolizard, forcing it to live off of a life support system.**

So that was why the Biolizard was so large, he mused, closing his eyes in reflection. And it was apparently an animal to begin with due to the fact that it grew... and also because of the picture of a small, pitiful-looking green lizard that was at the bottom of the page. He could only hope that the hedgehog wouldn't do the same.

As for the three failures... what on earth could have happened?

"Gerald," he said, his voice patient, "what happened to these three failed experiments?"

"They died." He sounded toneless about it, though Black Doom heard him scratch his whiskers. "The first one lived for one full minute, before it died. The second one lived a day, but caved in to sickness. The last one was created in a coma and didn't last a week."

They all died.

The thought made Black Doom feel light-headed. How did Gerald see his failures? Was he upset about it? The odds were that he was.

"Anyway," he said, clearing his throat, "I know that this time, it won't end on a bad note."

Bad note? Four failures is a _terrible _note. And don't jinx it, Robotnik, you never know what might happen. He wanted to say this so horribly, but he fought the urge and quelled it with calmness.

"Right," he said instead, opening his eyes and turning to the next page on the clipboard.

There was a picture on this page, too, of a small, young-looking Morian Swallow. He turned the page, and again there was a picture - of a large Morian Wolf, and the next was of a Chameleon.

**Subject:**** Autumn  
Age: 7  
Gender: Female  
Species: Red-chested Swallow  
Height: 2'1"  
Weight: 42 lbs, 2 g  
Health: Moderate. 16:1 ratio of white blood cells to red blood cells. Normal for her age. Has no serious conditions that are noteworthy.  
**

**Lived for one minute, for seconds before choking to death. Subject Autumn showed no sign of heightened intelligence. The cause of death is a failure to breathe properly due to incorrect red blood cell count. Not enough oxygen reached her lungs.**

Turn the page.

**Subject:**** Boulder  
Age: 21  
****Gender: Male****  
Species: Grey Wolf  
Height: 4'7"  
****Weight:**** 98 lbs, 7 g  
****Health:**** Moderate. 22:1 ratio of white blood cells. Strong immune system. Has no serious health conditions.**

**Awoke at 9:45 A.M. on 27 March, XXXX, with a heavy case of influenza. Subject Boulder was kept in confinement. His intelligence measured from its starting point of 127 (before death) to 214 (after resurrection). Subject died at approximately 10:22 A.M. the day after because of brain failure.**

Next page.

**Subject:**** Cloud  
Gender: Female  
Species: Chameleon  
****Age:**** 14  
****Height:**** 3'1"  
Weight: 57 lbs, 1 g  
****Health:**** Good. 27:1 ratio of white blood cells to red blood cells. Great immune system. No recorded history of diseases.**

**Subject Cloud was resurrected into a coma. She lived off a life support system during this time. Due to a mechanical malfunction, Subject Cloud died one week after creation. Researcher Gregory West was fired, having been in the care of Subject Cloud during this time."**

A cough made Black Doom look up with a frown, distracted for a moment from the real universe. It was the professor who coughed, as if clearing his throat and making his way for speech. He hesitated for a moment when he saw Black Doom's irritated expression. However, deciding to make the best of it since he already interrupted his temporary partner, he said distractedly, "So um, how _did_ you turn into a hedgehog, anyway?"

Amused by the professor's question, Black Doom quirked an eyebrow and made a quite humming noise as if in contemplation. After a long, hard moment of thought (seeing no reason why he shouldn't answer such a simple question) in which he tried to put his words together so that it would make sense to the human, he said, "Well, you see, due to being in the presence of a Chaos Emerald, if I slip into the meditative state between wakefulness and subconsciousness, I can unconsciously manipulate the atoms in my body and transform into a variety of forms simply by changing my genetic makeup." Surely the scientist understood. "Of course, I can do the same without a Chaos Emerald, but it's somewhat more difficult. I'm sure you understand."

In all actuality, he _hoped_ that the professor understood. Things were already troubling enough without explaining how his genetic makeup worked. He was almost relieved when the scientist nodded his head in understanding. "And what about your eye?" he asked.

"My... eye?"

"You know," he stammered, pointing at his own forehead, "your third eye."

"Oh, yes, that." Unwilling to display his quiet embarrassment, he sat up taller, as if he were proud. "It stays with me no matter which form I take, so no matter what I am, I have a third eye."

Professor Gerald was sitting down now, his fingers steepled together right under his mustache as he leaned forward on his chair. Suddenly Black Doom was wary; while he was merely a human, he was still a scientist, so the chances were that he was silently taking notes, committing everything he said to memory. This was treacherous ground he was walking on; he needed to be more careful about that. The serious expression on Gerald's face only increased Black Doom's quiet worry. Although his plump, bushy grey-mustached, bald-headed, glasses-wearing, long-nosed self was quite comical to look at to say the least, his mind was nothing to laugh about... no, not at all.

When he raised his head to query further, Black Doom half-expected him to continue prodding around why he had a third eye, or what kind of energy allowed him to change shapes. Instead he asked, "Do you think Desert will have the same powers of transformation as you?"

Black Doom blinked. What kind of question was that? "Of course not," he said curtly. "He has a set body structure, so - wait, what was his name?"

Did he hear correctly? Did he say -

"Desert?"

For a moment, Black Doom was silent... and then he thought...

"...Oh, gods, I see. Subject Autumn, Subject Boulder, Subject Cloud, Subject Desert. They follow the human alphabet: Subjects A, B, C, and D." He scoffed before setting down the clipboard and standing, rubbing his backside through his ancient robes. Why even give research experiments names in the first place? It was a waste of time, and led to unnecessary attachments.

_But I'm not about to question the human's logic,_ he thought, his frown deepening. No, if he wanted to be all mournful for naught, why stop him? In the society he created, names were an honor to be earned through hard work and labor and loyalty. Only the highest-ranking of the society were gifted with such a thing to be proud of. In fact, he left Commander Black Light in charge of the Black Comet since he'd left; how were things holding up? he wondered.

"Is something wrong with that?" asked Professor Gerald, to which the alien shook his head and waved his head dismissively. "Are you positive?"

"Oh yes, do whatever you please," responded Black Doom, emotionless. Somehow he always felt a lot more free in his hedgehog form - more loose, casual. Perhaps it was because he had legs, something he was denied in the guise he took up most often.

"Are you _sure?"_ repeated the professor in what seemed to Black Doom's ears to be concern. Black Doom turned his head to fully face the human, slowly. His three eyes stared intently at the pale creature in the pale coat with a mix of rage and annoyance. He continued to glower at Gerald with his scarlet eyes until the Professor's gaze broke away mere moments later, timid.

How he would love to show his anger to the wretched human who sat just in front of him, who dared take pity on the leader of the Black Arms. Displaying the true extent of his power, however, would lead to an unhappy Fate, who would grab him in her humongous hands and crush the breath out of him. His eyes scanned the room for a curious moment before he caught sight of a metal table that held nothing but glass cylinders and scrap sheets of paper. "Gerald," he said sharply, "look at that table over there."

Confused and rightly hesitant, the scientist obeyed. He stared at it for a moment before casting his gaze to Black Doom, who could here his heart racing by now with his sensitive hearing. "No, don't look at _me, _look at the _table!_"

Black Doom was watching him with his observant third eye, which never broke its gaze from the human's face while his main two wer focused on the table. The human jumped, and once again, he obeyed.

Black Doom suddenly - unwarningly - raised his hand, facing toward the table with his arm lazily held up, and then he suddenly turned it, palm toward his face. As if obeying a silent signal, the table jumped to the air, slamming on the ceiling with an earth-shattering _crash_. The glass broke on contact and as the table fell to the floor loudly, the billions of tiny shards of glass clattering to the floor while thousands remained stuck inside the table made tinkling noises. The paper was practically glued to the table, and tiny bits of metal fell startled from the air.

Then Black Doom clenched his fist, and the table was suddenly - easily, with all the glass and paper - squeezed into a metal ball. The metal creaked and groaned, clanging together in agitation with the sudden weight and pressure.

His third eye saw the fear plastered on Gerald's pale face, as his eyes were glued to the table and his mouth was gaped impossibly open. Black Doom smiled widely, and he laughed, his voice cold and without heart. Oh, how he loved this - seeing the fear on other's faces at the mere _demonstration _of his godly, perfect power!

The he threw the ball of scrap at Gerald, and as it hurtled closer, he saw the pale-faced man scream as he stumbled out of his chair on the steel floor. It followed him, and it almost - _almost _- decapitated him before the hedgehog returned to his senses and stopped it at the last millisecond, a mere millimeter from the human's sweaty face. It stayed like that for a moment, rotating in midair; then the alien cast it aside, and it landed in the corned with a loud, tense series of _clang_s.

Black Doom was still chuckling through the silence when he approached the professor. He knelt down to the man's level, and he smiled with bright, white teeth. "Do you see what I am capable of?" he asked cheekily, surprised at how bubbly his voice had become. He always did react to similar situations differently in different form - a raving lunatic was apparently how he handled situations that threatened his pride. "If I could do that to a steel table, imagine how easily I can compact you into a ball of human flesh!"

_No, no, calm down, you need to calm down._

Somehow, with the aid of deep breathing and deep thoughts, he managed to soothe himself and stand upright again. He once more wore his casual frown, which he used as he addressed Robotnik:

**_"Do not ever believe me in need of worry or pity, or a ball of pulp you will become."_**

He lost his smooth voice, casting it to the winds with rigorous abandon, and so no his voice was like how it was through telepathy: Dark, ominous, echoing. His voice sounded like it had uttered a curse, a promise, rather than a cold threat. He saw Gerald shrink back further, engulfed by fear. Black Doom allowed himself the pleasure of a smirk - a happy smirk - as he turned on his heel and walked away, humming a lyric from his people, translated as:

_Justification is what we are,  
__And this is what we deliver from our gods,  
__So what some consider a stream of dried blood,  
__We call it purification for our religion.  
If it means filling the people with terror,_  
_We can give this and so much more._  
_Way ho! Way ho! Our religion is that,_  
_An act of justice makes us the savior of your souls!_

He heard footsteps down the hallway to his left, and he turned quietly towards it.

If he would have looked sooner, he would have seen the intruder's foot taking cover around the corner. He would have seen yellow, golden as the Morian sun, fleeing from his ebony form. Maybe he would have seen blue eyes looking back at him, meeting red, staring at him, if he had _stayed _a little longer. But, in the seconds that ticked by into moments, somewhere along the line, Black Doom decided to turn right and leave.

And if he would have turned to close the door, he would not have only seen Professor Gerald recovering from his ordeal (the only thing on his mind: _Will the experiment be able to do the same thing, too?_), but also that Desert's pelt had begun to darken to grey.


End file.
